anthem
by apaixonante-saudade
Summary: "those songs and their lyrics - they tell you a story, if you listen closely."/ a collection of one-shots or multi-shots inspired by kpop song titles and lyrics/ SasuSaku and multi-pairings AU
1. killing me

**Title:** _Continue_

 **Summary:** _Of anger and trying to find themselves without each other. It's dark and they're blinded, but it's a first step forward._

 **Pairing:** _Sasuke x Sakura_

 **Words:** _3101 words_

 **Song:** \+ _Killing Me by iKON +_

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Naruto, nor any of the songs._

* * *

 **(1)**

 **.**

" _ **your traces remain, and they torture me"**_

 **.**

 **.**

It was dark and empty. It had been for days, weeks, perhaps months? He had lost count. Time passed like a blur to the point where he found himself unable to grasp such a concept. His mind felt dissociated from his body, one lost in its own world while the other worked mechanically to survive.

"Dude, this place is a mess." He vaguely heard someone mention, but it sounded as if it was distant, like someone's voice was travelling under water. He responded with an absentminded grunt, mind contemplating – in some ways, perhaps he really did feel as if he was drowning, suffocating; slowly dying.

A pair of footsteps shuffled against the dusty wooden floor and the sound of the curtains being drawn had barely registered before the sunlight suddenly lit up the entire apartment.

He squinted instinctively and head turned sharply to glare at the culprit. It seemed to be the desired effect because the other man merely smiled.

"Glad to see you finally responsive, man," the blond in the room said as he reached for the windows, murmuring under his breath. "This place is really stuffy. And dirty. Worse than mine."

There was a loud groan and without even having to look backwards, the blond reflexively ducked to avoid the pillow that came sailing above his head.

"What are you doing here, Naruto?"

"Save your ass before you accidentally starve to death, obviously," Naruto rolled his eyes, dusting his hands and moving to clean the abandoned dishes that piled the sink, wincing at the trail of ants that had gathered. "What the hell, Sasuke. This is honestly disgusting."

Sasuke snorted, not bothering to get up from the couch, an arm draped across his eyes to shield them from the harsh sunlight. "Clean your own place, leave me alone."

The blond didn't reply, merely getting to work to make sure his best friend's (even if he would never admit it in Sasuke's face) place looked at least habitable. With the current mess it was in, Naruto wondered how the other man even managed to find food to sustain himself so far. As the hours passed, the dark-haired man barely budged from the couch, his breathing even and calm with the occasional hitch.

It hadn't been like that the first few weeks. Sasuke had been composed as ever, going on with his life as if nothing had changed at all. In fact, when Naruto had dropped by back then, everything was as organised as ever – to the point where the apartment looked almost cold and void of any presence. Sasuke had stored everything of hers in a small closet under the stairs and had locked the door, he had refused to have anything belonging to her in his sight; similarly, he had dealt with his emotions the same way – keeping everything locked up and refusing to talk or think about it.

Nobody expected for the cold and seemingly emotionless Sasuke Uchiha to crumble one month and a half after the entire ordeal.

Naruto himself was abroad at that time, and he received a call from one of their mutual friends who had sounded quite afraid. "Yo, uh, something's wrong with Uchiha," Kiba's voice said, fading occasionally as he heard hurried footsteps and crashing sounds in the background. It took a moment before Kiba continued hurriedly, "He seems to have suddenly cracked. Get back here. You know only you can talk to him."

He later learned that the other guys had dragged him out to have a drink that night. They were worried, and the only way they knew how to cheer him up or at least get him to relax was to go out drinking. And in some twisted coincidence, Sasuke had spotted her at the same bar that night. On the spot, he drank without any restrains until he finally got lost in the blur of lights and alcohol. He had woken up in his apartment but to a floor full of shattered glass and a deep wound across his palm, and it was after that day where his world spiralled downwards.

The blond sighed as he moved on to clean Sasuke's bedroom, picking up the clothes that were strewn all over the floor. He was surprised to find a teddy bear in a corner, covered in dust. "Isn't this something of hers?" he muttered to himself, wondering. _But didn't Sasuke lock everything related to her in the closet?_

Out of curiosity, he picked it up and turned it around in his hands, pressing a switch in its paw unknowingly. There was a whirr and a click before the familiar, melodious voice of her could be heard.

" _I love you! Always!"_ A faint but bright laugh followed, and even Sasuke's deep chuckles could be heard in the recording.

"Throw that shit away."

Naruto spun around to meet a pair of dark, obsidian eyes glaring at the toy in his hands, lips curled in a sneer. He kicked the door shut with a loud slam and spat, "I don't want to see that around."

"Come on, shower and get dressed," the blond merely replied, not addressing the request. "There's nothing in your fridge. We're going out for dinner."

He expected Sasuke to put up more of a fight and refuse to leave, but much to his surprise, all it took was one moment of consideration before the raven-haired man grabbed fresh clothes and entered the bathroom. Once the door shut behind him, Naruto proceeded to carefully place the teddy bear on one of Sasuke's shelves, not entirely out of his sight but not in an open area either.

 _When he's ready, he'll be able to face it._

 _ **.**_

" _ **her existence was a big part of my world, and I tried but I couldn't remove her from it"**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **.**_

When they first met, they instantly knew that they belonged to two different worlds. He was the famous business mogul, ruthless and calculative; she was clearly a free spirit, one that ran wild and wasn't to be held back by any rules or regulations. He was attending the event as one of the biggest sponsors, and she was there as one of the photographers whose work was being exhibited.

He raised a brow at her work, not understanding how it was being displayed at one of the main areas. It was a simple yearly event for charity, and the photographers weren't usually famous ones, but their works were usually more intriguing than this.

"Isn't this subpar at best?" he shot a sharp look at his assistant, who cowered and frantically checked her chart.

"What do you see, Mr. Uchiha?" the young woman stepped up before his assistant could reply him.

Sasuke's obsidian eyes shifted to observe the young woman before him. She was too bright for his tastes; he preferred monochromatic shades and here she was being an explosion of colours – her dress was a red halter-neck, adorned with white and pink flowers, her heels silver. Her eyes were a rich emerald and even her hair was dyed a pastel pink. She was beautiful with her defined features, and the dress flattered her slim figure – he wouldn't deny that – but at first glance, he never considered the possibility that this young woman was one that would capture his attention.

"I see a common cityscape, just taken from a high ground-" he answered impatiently when she repeated her question, checking her name on the chart. "Miss Haruno. If I'm not mistaken, the theme this year was 'freedom'."

The young woman smiled and turned to her photograph, a distant look quickly replaced the cheeky glint she had in her emerald eyes earlier.

"I decided to photograph something that indicated my freedom, rather than a freedom generalised to the public," she said softly. "I was standing on a ledge without fences. There was nothing to stop me from taking another step. I was above the grey buildings that were my prison, and my freedom was me making my choice to be there with no clue of what would happen next. I could die, but I could also live to show this."

Sasuke stared at her as if she had said something ridiculous. "You're mad."

She laughed, one that was infectious and got others chuckling and smiling with her even if they didn't know what for. And little did he know back then that her smile would firmly plant its roots into his heart and his world.

"Perhaps. But we all need a little bit of that to live."

 **.**

 **" _I turned around like you're a stranger, but why am I so lonely?"_**

 **.**

 **.**

"I walked away from her first," Sasuke confessed quietly, obsidian eyes glazed over, clearly from having one drink too many. "I knew it broke her. I saw. And I didn't do anything about it."

Naruto's hand hung mid-air, the glass that was being lifted to his lips slowly being put down on the table again. He was unsure what to do, this was the first time in two months that Sasuke was finally willing to talk, but he didn't want the other man to regress and go back to being a hermit again.

"Sasuke, if you're uncomfortable talking about it-"

"No," the raven-haired male interrupted. There was a clarity to his voice, like he was sure of what he was doing. "I… need to. Every time I go to bed I see those eyes, all green and teary. I know I was being selfish and I ignored her tears. I just…"

A pause hung between them, filled by the dull bass of the music that was playing at the bar they were at, dim lights flashing about. The chatter of the people around them were like filtered murmurs to Sasuke who was caught up in his own thoughts.

"I just didn't realise how much it broke me too."

"You've been together for 3 years. That's a long time. She integrated herself into your world, and you into hers." Naruto explained, uncharacteristically calm. His cerulean blue eyes were trained on his best friend's face, watching as the normally cold features openly displayed an emotion of loss and hurt.

Sasuke gulped down the contents of his glass. "Do you blame me?"

"I… I saw it, you know. How broken she was," Naruto said slowly. "It would be a lie to say if I haven't blamed you at all. She's my childhood friend, I've seen her gone through so many things and this was one of the worse ones. But…"

He turned to meet a pair of obsidian eyes that were watching him, anticipation shining behind the light sheen of unshed tears. Sasuke Uchiha wasn't as cold-hearted as the world would like to believe. He was also a man that had loved as much as he could give.

"You also made her happier than I have ever seen her been. Even running around the world didn't give her that smile she had when she was with you."

At once, a single tear escaped from the corner of his eyes and ran down his cheek, and Sasuke Uchiha lost his grasp on his emotions. The rage was somewhat subdued, and all that was left was a pain that was gripping at him.

"I saw her once, after the breakup." He told Naruto, wiping his tears with the back of his hand. His heart ached at even the mention of her, and he gulped down his just-refilled glass in one shot again.

"What happened that night?" the blond asked with a frown. "Kiba said you just suddenly began drinking uncontrollably, and when he brought you home, you just decided to destroy everything in your own apartment."

Sasuke didn't answer his best friend directly, a somewhat faraway look in his eyes. "She looked well," he said quietly, the corner of his lips tugged slightly upwards yet not exactly a smile. "She looked as beautiful as ever, smiling and laughing at those around her."

He blinked, the almost-smile vanished quickly as a wistful expression replaced it. "But it'll never be at me again."

"Did you… did you try to approach her?" Naruto asked hesitatingly.

His two friends had been very happy together, their lives were filled with each other and they had explosive chemistry. However, along the way – he didn't what went wrong – but with two people as fiery as them, their arguments and the discord between them was tempestuous. He knew that Sasuke was struggling to find his life without Sakura Haruno once more. It was a relationship that had integrated into their lives so deeply that it was difficult to return to how they were without each other.

"She did," Sasuke said as he laughed bitterly, the sound nasty even to his own ears. "I saw those green eyes stare at me and she tried to come over to talk, but I just walked away. I couldn't handle it… I still can't."

"Then why did you do it?"

The raven-haired man covered his face, the deep bass of the music making his head throb. "I don't know," he mumbled. "I never thought I'd see that day coming. Never thought I'd be the cause and that I'd suffer so much."

"You'll have to find who you are without her and get your emotions and thoughts together," the blond advised, his voice slowly turning into a blur as a ringing sound began taking over Sasuke's mind. The time of advice and confession came to an end as the alcohol he had consumed had finally caught up with him, his eyelids growing heavy and mind becoming detached. The last thing he heard before everything melted into an inaudible mess was Naruto's voice saying,

"You can't rely on her for everything anymore."

 **.**

" **is it because of this painful longing? Or is it my selfish loneliness?"**

 **.**

 **.**

It was the first time in two months that Sasuke woke up with the sunlight peaking through the dark curtains, his room was still dim but it wasn't as suffocating anymore. Although his head hurt from all the alcohol the night before and his thoughts were still a mess, his mind felt clearer and more refreshed.

After idly wandering his apartment for an hour or so – he made the mental note to thank Naruto for cleaning, perhaps with a meal or a gift – his footsteps faltered in front of the small cupboard door he had locked. He inhaled sharply, hands trembling as he reached for the passcode lock at the knob. He knew he had to do it eventually, to be able to face and come to terms with it.

Every beep from the passcode lock was a nuisance to his ears, and when the door finally opened with a click, his heart tugged painfully at the sight of those familiar things piled carelessly in boxes – things that belonged to them and to her – covered by a layer of dust.

He slowly shifted the items to the living room, trying his best to control his emotions as he sifted through them. It was ironic, how he used to lecture her about her habit of unable to throw things away, teasing her for being sentimental for everything; and here he was, his body automatically tense when he tried to throw any object of hers away.

She didn't leave much behind, just a stray lipstick or jewellery. There were a few photographs, they weren't clear but they were taken in the moment, where both of their smiles had been the widest.

In fact, looking around, there wasn't much of her in his apartment, actually – not physically, at least – But her presence was everywhere. Everything reminded him of the days they shared, be it good ones or bad ones. Her trace lingered even in the darkest corner, and their memories were inked deep in his mind to the smallest detail.

It was becoming overwhelming and it was getting suffocating, and he decided it was enough for one day.

He returned to his bedroom and was about to draw his curtains and go to sleep, ignoring the pain that clawed at his heart when he saw the teddy bear that Naruto had placed on his shelf. His breathing hitched as he slowly reached for it. He had remembered when he first saw the teddy bear after the breakup, and in a fit of rage he had thrown it to the corner of his room, where it sat collecting dust until Naruto picked it up the day before.

He held the toy in his hand, staring at it for a long time as he sat on his bed. Naruto was right – he had to find who he was without her.

Not only that, but he had to straighten his own emotions; did he want her back so desperately because he still longed for her, or was it because he was being selfish and couldn't stand the loneliness without her?

It was a fair question, and one of the reasons he had shunned her at the bar that night – he didn't want to hurt her further. If it was truly just because he was comfortable relying on her, then it would be unfair to her as well in the long run. The root of their problems wouldn't be solved, and it would only be them hurting each other even more.

 _Perhaps sometimes, it was better to let go than to hold on._

He had avoided thinking about it for the longest time and it was slowly killing him, even the smallest of her touch in his life was torturing him. Such turbulent emotions were things that he was very unfamiliar with, and perhaps it was truly time for him to confront them.

Their story was not extraordinary, but it had been enough for them. Like a cycle, they had come to an end, and it was time to learn to cope.

With a heavy sigh and shaky hands, he pressed the paw of the bear.

" _I love you! Always!"_

And slowly, a small smile curled the edges of his lips – one genuine, yet filled with sadness and hurt. It was improvement, he decided. He could hear her voice now without losing himself to rage, and he could hold on to the teddy bear without feeling like it was mocking him.

He pressed the button once more, this time closing his eyes as he listened to her laugh and his own chuckle that accompanied it.

It would take time, but he would learn.

 **.**

 **.**

" **it's killing me, once again"**

 **.**

* * *

 **A/N: _Welcome to my new project! AU's are like the only things I have in my head smh I'm so sorry._**

 ** _Also, I'm open to song suggestions - please do leave your comments on any kpop songs you'd like me to write a one-shot/ multi-shot based on!_**


	2. black suit

**Title:** _Heist_

 **Summary:** _The diamond on display was rarest of its kind, and it would be a fight of wealth to possess something as exclusive as that. But, alas, things don't always go as planned._

 **Pairing:** _-_

 **Words:** _3154 words_

 **Song:** _\+ Black Suit by Super Junior +_

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Naruto, nor any of the songs._

* * *

 **(2)**

 **.**

 **.**

 **20th January, 8:23 p.m., Tsukuyomi Auction House**

 **.**

The room wasn't big, but it was rather tastefully decorated. Tsukuyomi was one of the most exclusive auction houses, and this room – with its entrance hidden behind one of the wine cabinets in the underground cellar – hosted only the most expensive treasures and most important guests.

A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a soft light on the small crowd of influential people as they sat around the tables, anxiously waiting for the treasure of the night to be unveiled. While the guests were all well-known and highly respected, there were a few that stood out more as compared to the others – their presence and achievements intimidating, background prestigious.

Seated in the table right in front of the podium with the covered glass case that would display the treasure of the night, Naruto of the Uzumaki family was talking to his peers with his usual friendly smile in place. The Uzumakis were a proud family with a successful global hotel chain. Although Naruto was a known black sheep of that family, he was smart and quick-witted, and adding that onto his naturally friendly nature, the Uzumakis liked to make use of him to build connections on their behalf. However, behind their back, the young blond man had successfully established his own personal business as well.

To the left of the room, they were wary of two young men who were sitting side by side – renowned art curator Sai and business prodigy Neji from the famous Hyuuga family, a tight smile on Sai's lips while Neji sported a carefully blank expression on his face. Most people knew the Hyuugas for their successful trade business as well as the number of politicians in the scene that were related to them.

Seated in a dark corner, Shikamaru Nara tried not to attract attention to himself and while his family was not as known as the others, recognition was still unavoidable. The Naras were a military family, multiple members holding ranks due to the high intelligence they possessed. While it had been disclosed that Shikamaru was not interested in being involved in the military and had left the main Nara family, it was known to only a few that he was heading most of their weapon development projects.

In fact, none of them were as black and white as their public profiles. Especially one individual sitting alone right at the back of the room, whose presence itself intimidated those around him.

With sharp dark eyes constantly observing his surroundings and a confident smirk on his handsome face, Sasuke Uchiha was a rather mysterious and scary individual. The famous younger heir to the Uchiha business empire, established his own line of businesses but still living under the shadow of his older brother – that was all the public knew of him.

The lights dimmed and instantly the chatter hushed, all attention on the podium with the covered glass case. The auction was starting. One of the bodyguards approached to remove the cloth covering the case, revealing a large gem sitting in the middle, its colour a rich, vibrant red. The tension in the room increased as all eyes were focused on the priceless ruby.

A young, brown-haired man took the podium and introduced himself as the host, his lips quirking in a boyish smile.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he spoke, his voice ringing clearly across the room. "This beauty tonight is known as the Sharingan, one of the largest and rarest red diamonds in the world. It was in the possession of Madara Uchiha until we managed to procure it half a year ago. We'll be taking bids starting from 20 million."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sai was first to bid, calling a simple "30 million." The others scoffed and began raising their paddles, pushing the price higher and higher. It increased tremendously, each trying to get their hands on the exclusive jewel.

"50."

"75."

"100 million." Neji called, raising his paddle.

The young host lifted his gravel, "100 million once, twice and-"

Before he could slam the gravel down and finalise the deal, the lights sparked and went off unexpectedly, creating a commotion in the room. Security guards employed by Tsukuyomi who were situated around the room immediately made their way towards the podium to guard the diamond while the staff hurried to find the source of the problem, while personal bodyguards surrounded their important guests in case of any threat.

When the lights came blinking back on, an entirely new chaos erupted in the enclosed room as everybody began pointing and howling at the now empty glass case on the podium.

 **.**

 **.**

 **15th January, 5:36 p.m., Konoha penthouse a.k.a. Sasuke Uchiha's house**

 **.**

Sasuke keyed in his passcode at the entrance of his penthouse, anticipating a quiet, comfortable evening where he could finally take a rest. Perhaps a glass of wine, a lounge on the balcony and a relaxing bath. Everything had been hectic as of late, and he wanted nothing more than to bask in the solitariness his home provided and –

"God, I'm so hungry. Did you order the pizza or not?"

"Wasn't that your job? Like 20 minutes ago?"

"What? No?"

Sasuke groaned as he heard the bickering voices, a reaction of his that always accompanied the arrival of those guests of his. Right, the meeting was today. Tugging on his tie and slamming his door close behind him, he glared at his guests that seemed to be much too comfortable in his home.

"Get your feet off the table, I swear-" he hissed at one of them, throwing his jacket at the blond man who caught it easily. "They cost more than your feet, Uzumaki. You, don't touch the artwork. Don't even breathe near them-"

He warned Sai, who was observing the row of paintings that decorated the hallway before turning to another young man who was rummaging his fridge. "And you. Drop the steak, Inuzuka. Stick to ordering pizza," he snarled. "You won't know good food even if it hits you in the face anyway."

"Finally, you're back." Neji sighed, looking almost relieved. No one could blame the Hyuuga – acting as babysitter for the bunch was taxing. "I can't stay for long, let's get this meeting started."

As the words left his lips, the small group of friends gathered around the coffee table. All traces of jokes and laughter had disappeared in that instant, replaced with their serious and professional characters that the public would recognise.

That was just it – the world didn't know about the tight-knit friendship between these young heirs. The eyes of the public had never been able to see the closeness they shared, and thus assumed that they were either business competitors or partners and nothing more.

But their relationship has never been black or white – they fought in both their public and private lives, but would always gravitate together. And it was precisely because of the trust they had built over the years that they decided to take a huge gamble on helping the Uchiha among them acquire the Sharingan gem.

Naruto went first, spreading a paper across the coffee table. It was a detailed floor plan of the Tsukuyomi auction house, one that he had worked hard to acquire. It took a lot of smiles, charm and manipulation, but Naruto Uzumaki never failed at tasks that required those anyway.

"I've circled the cameras, a total of five hundred of them in the entire Tsukuyomi," he explained, pointing at the areas circled in red ink. "They're all monitored in a single control room, but only a hundred screens. Means, it changes five times in rotation, each rotation lasts five seconds. Three guards."

"Three in entrance the wine cellar itself, none inside," Neji observed, carefully eyeing the floorplan. "We'll just need to take care of those three, the six in the west corridor and the rest depending on how we make our way out."

"Why are we doing this?" Shikamaru yawned, stretching lazily. "You have more than enough money to bid on the gem."

"I'm not paying a single cent to that snake Orochimaru and the traitor Madara," Sasuke replied without batting an eye, gaze still focused on the floor plan. "I've managed to secure invites for us and two staff passes for Inuzuka and Aburame."

"Aburame will be in the security team as planned. Just stand by the glass case at all times," the Hyuuga heir said. "We still need to plan an exit."

Sai pointed to a location on the floorplan. "I propose the basement parking lot. We'll be passing by a total of twenty cameras, and it's the nearest."

"Thirty," Naruto corrected, shaking his head. "I saw two hidden cameras in the private room when I went to survey the other day. Their angles aren't as wide, but it still captures the podium and the entrance perfectly. Other than that, there are three more hidden cameras in each corridor in addition to the six, and two more by the parking lots. The floor plan doesn't include them because only the owner has that copy. I couldn't get my hands on it."

Sasuke frowned. "Tsukuyomi's hidden room isn't as private as we thought," he muttered, displeased. "We need a shorter exit. The number of cameras doesn't matter if we're able to cover our tracks during the chaos, as long as we leave as quickly as possible. Time is the most important thing."

"The staff exit?" Kiba suggested.

"Too many authorisations to bypass," Shino voiced his disagreement, a rare occurrence. "It'll take too long."

"This is troublesome," Shikamaru finally spoke up in his signature drawl after the others had bounced alternative plans back and forth for a long while. He picked up a pencil nearby and circled the route he had in mind. "Let's just leave through the main foyer. Let the cameras capture us. It's good alibi."

They exchanged unsure glances. They trusted in Shikamaru's judgment, but at the same time, it was a lot to risk and much more to consider. They were all quiet as they pondered on his suggestion, running the plan and multiple possible scenarios through their minds, calculating their risk of failure.

"You know what," Sasuke was first to break the silence. "I agree."

Naruto let out a chuckle, one that loosened the tense atmosphere in the penthouse. Slowly, the other few broke into small grins along with the blond's contagious laughter.

"Well," he said in an ironically light tone and bright smile as his next words held quite the heavy weigh. "If the plan goes bust all of us are done for. Let's do this properly, eh?"

 **.**

 **.**

 **20th January, 9.02 p.m, Tsukuyomi Auction House**

 **.**

A gunshot fired, a table was overturned, wine glasses were shattered and people were screaming and taking cover. Three young men were involved in a stand-off, each staring hard at the other two, expressions grave and lips pressed in a tight line.

"I'm not fucking kidding here," Sasuke snarled, gun pointed at the Hyuuga that was standing opposite him, his dark eyes glaring between Neji and Naruto on the right of him. "Don't play games with me."

"Don't be foolish," Neji drawled in that cold, authoritative tone of his. "It would be mine if it weren't for the trick one of you rats pulled."

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke fired two more shots at seemingly random angles, accompanied by the screams of the terrified guests. Unbeknownst to them, Sasuke had aimed his shots particularly at the hidden cameras Naruto had informed him of. His dark eyes caught sight of the subtle tilt of Naruto's chin that indicated he had hit them perfectly and quickly turned his attention back to the young Hyuuga heir.

"Put your weapon down, Uchiha," Naruto spoke calmly, acting as the mediator between them. "None of us know what happened. Don't cause any more distress."

"You heard Uzumaki," Neji snarled. "We're all at a loss here. Put the damn gun down."

Sasuke's eyes darted around the room quickly. The people were calming down slowly, eyeing the trio in curiosity with only a slight tinge of fear. The doors weren't open yet with guards standing by them, and the lights were still dim.

He came to one conclusion – there wasn't enough chaos for them to take their leave.

Pressing his lips together, he fired his gun a few more times at the door until he ran out of bullets. Neji raised a brow at first but easily caught on to what the dark-haired man was trying to do. In response, he flipped the nearby table, letting the wine glasses crash on the carpeted floor and tossed a chair in front of him to act as a barrier between him and Sasuke. As expected, guests began to pour out of the room out of panic, and the security guards couldn't do anything more to stop them even if they wanted to contain everyone in the room until the jewel was found.

"Fuck this. I'll make sure the Uchihas never set foot in this fraud of an auction house ever." Sasuke spat loudly for the crowd to hear before marching out of the room together with the other guests.

"Consider business with the Hyuugas over as well," Neji snapped at the young host who was wearing a terrified and confused expression. "Have a good night, Mr. Inuzuka. Do convey my message to your boss."

Naruto Uzumaki let out a heavy sigh as the two who caused the most problems left the room. He rounded the rest of the guests with an assuring smile, "It's alright. Let's just leave here first, alright?" he approached and comforted a trembling young woman with a soft voice. The woman nodded and with one last sweeping glance across the room with those cerulean blue eyes, the young blond left the room with the last of the guests.

The host was left, along with a few members of the security team, but Shino Aburame was not in sight. "Well," Kiba coughed, taking off his white gloves and stuffing them in his pocket, making a mental note to burn them later. "I guess we'll have to report what happened here and let them investigate."

The guards couldn't agree more and as they quickly exited the room, neither of them catching the small smirk that ghosted the corner of Kiba's lips. He eyed the empty glass case, satisfied at the outcome.

They had succeeded in retrieving the gem.

 **.**

 **.**

 **20th January, 11:32 p.m, Mangekyo Hotel private suite**

 **.**

"What do you mean none of us have the gem?" Kiba asked incredulously, his brown eyes wide in disbelief. He refused to accept that they had failed – not when the plan seemed to have worked flawlessly, save for the theatrics Sasuke and Neji had pulled.

"That's just it," Sasuke said, annoyed. "We don't have it."

"But it went missing!" Naruto protested, looking around at his friends, hoping for one of them to jump out and present the jewel. "Means someone must've gotten to it."

Shino shook his head. "It was gone before I could reach for it. I thought maybe someone else had managed to get it faster than I did so I left."

"I never got to touch it." Kiba murmured, wringing his hands together in frustration.

"Not me." Neji sighed.

"No." Sai said.

"I was far away." Shikamaru shrugged.

"Did you see anyone go near then?" the young Uzumaki heir pressed on anxiously. He was afraid. Not just because their plan failed and they didn't get their hands on the diamond, but also because there was a risk of being exposed and their careers, family, everything – ruined and crushed into dust.

The few of them bickered, each pitching their own theories and solutions, going so far as to discuss damage control for the aftermath of the failed operation. "Can you shut up for a moment?" Sasuke finally interjected as six pairs of eyes fixed on him.

"You don't seem very worried," Neji pointed out, raising a brow. He crossed his arms and leaned in his seat. "Like you know where is it, or who took it."

There was a tense silence as the two's gazes met, each not backing down. Naruto hesitated before he decided to ask carefully, "Do you?"

Sasuke sighed. "Not exactly. But I saw who."

It sent them into a chaotic mess, speaking over each other to the point where no one's question was comprehensible.

"Shut up," Kiba snapped. "One by one. Who?"

The Uchiha shrugged. "I don't recognise her," he said simply. "But I saw her."

"It's a her then?" Neji murmured. "We can narrow it down from the guest list. Outsiders aren't allowed in so that shouldn't be hard-"

"She isn't part of the list," Sasuke interrupted, eyes were closed.

He had caught a glimpse of her in the dark, right before the lights completely went out. She had appeared, quick as a flash, and noticed him looking straight at her. He caught sight of small smirk curving the corner of her lips and a gleam in her green eyes before the darkness engulfed them right after. She had slipped away in the darkness, skilful and nimble not to leave any trace, but he had her face memorised perfectly in that brief moment.

"I know everyone on that list but I've never seen her."

The others exchanged glances, one question echoing in their minds. It was Sai who voiced it out, "What are we going to do now? Should we hunt her down?"

"There's no need to use everyone's resources." Sasuke answered before the others could. He sat up straight in his seat, a new determination reflecting in his dark eyes.

Naruto understood that look on his friend, it was one of a hunter who had a detailed plan in his head, ready to lay a trap for his prey. "Sasuke," he warned. "What are you going to do?"

The young Uchiha merely smirked, the face of the young woman still clear in his memories. Her long lashes framing those emerald green eyes, her pink lips parted in a cheeky smile and a raise of the diamond in her slender fingers challenging him to catch her. He had smirked at her in return as an acceptance of her challenge, and he knew she had caught sight of it too before the dark completely enveloped the room.

He shrugged at his friend, simply saying, "I'll find her."

With that, he rose to his feet and left the suite, off to expand his resources to search for the little thief. His friends watched him leave, some in curiosity, some in amusement. None of them missed the curve at the corner of Sasuke's lips. They knew the dark-haired man was very interested, and they anticipated the show that would unfold from the search as well.

 _I'll get you, little runaway._


	3. soulmate

**Title:** _222_

 **Summary:** _They meet through a series of coincidences, like a transparent knot that has been tied upon the first meeting._

 **Pairing:** _Naruto x Hinata_

 **Words:** _3658 words_

 **Song:** \+ _Soulmate by Zico ft. IU +_

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Naruto, nor any of the songs._

* * *

 **(3)**

 **.**

Hinata carried a box in her hands, lavender eyes fixed on the apartment complex in front of her. It was smaller than what she was used to, but the room she had surveyed beforehand was no less cosy. The position of the apartment was scenic, and the Konoha University campus was about a ten-minute walk away.

While it was unusual for a student to transfer in halfway of the semester, Hinata was sure she would be able to cope. She wouldn't let her hard work of proving her father wrong go to a waste.

She was nervous, but she was having a good feeling about it. The weather was good as well, the warm sun and blue skies lifting her mood, the light spring breeze caressing her face. She had always loved sunny days, the bright and warm feeling the sun would bring her, along with the contrast of the clear blue sky.

It was a new beginning, and a good start.

She pushed open the glass doors and walked in, her heels clacking against the polished marble floor, echoing the quiet lobby. It was narrow but the simple décor of the lobby already gave off a homey feeling. She was about to walk towards the lifts when something fluttered against her feet.

Bending down slowly while balancing her box in one hand, she picked up the flyer that had landed right at her feet, swept in by the wind. She squinted, the writing on the paper was quite a mess and she could barely make out a few words and numbers when she was greeted by a new voice.

"Hi!"

Hinata folded the flyer and slipped it in between one of her books as she turned around to see a beautiful young woman smiling at the foot of the stairs, smiling warmly at her. "Are you the new tenant?"

"Yes," Hinata nodded shyly. "My name's Hinata."

"I'm Ino," the blonde woman introduced herself, cerulean eyes darting towards her watch before smiling apologetically. "I would help you with your things, but I'm late for class. I'm in apartment 5B, come over for dinner later! My roommate's cooking is to die for."

Hinata graciously accepted her offer. She thought she had heard Ino say something before the glass doors closed behind her, but when she turned around, the blonde had already rushed off without looking back. She shrugged, perhaps Ino had just told her to arrive at a specific time.

She made her way towards the lift and pressed the up button, the electronic panel indicating the lift was coming down from the 7th floor. She hummed a tune as she waited, noticing the lift had paused at the 2nd floor for quite a while.

 _Meow._

She jumped slightly at the quiet meow along with the soft fur that suddenly brushed against her ankles. Her lavender eyes shifted downwards to meet a pair of wide blue eyes looking up curiously at her.

"Hey kitty," she said softly. "Where did you come from?"

She was about to reach down to pet the cat when it scurried away quickly, and at the same time, the soft ding from the lift indicated that it had finally arrived at the lobby.

"Huh?"

As the metal doors opened, Hinata angled her body sideways to let the young man exit the lift, making sure that her box wasn't blocking his way. But to her confusion, he merely squinted at the panel indicating they were at the ground floor, handsome features arranged in a slightly annoyed expression and wasn't making a move to leave.

"Come on in. I'm actually getting off at the 4th floor, but it skipped my floor. This lift's been giving us problems over the past week," he explained sheepishly, releasing the open button only after she entered. He pressed the button for his floor and asked her, "What floor are you getting off?"

"6th, please." Hinata said gratefully.

He eyed the box she had in her hands and was planning to ask if she needed any help, but before he could say anything, the lift made an abrupt stop which shocked Hinata, causing her to stumble slightly. The young man, on the other hand, didn't seem too surprised and merely reached out a hand to carefully stabilise the box in her hands.

"Is that normal?" Hinata asked slowly and unsurely. She glanced at the electronic panel and noticed that they had stopped on the 2nd floor.

"No," the young man let out a sigh, pressing the emergency button. "We're stuck. Shouldn't have used the lift." He muttered the last part to himself. He turned towards her, smiling warmly.

"Help will come soon, they've been expecting this to happen soon. In fact, I got stuck at the 2nd floor too when I was going down just now." He explained with a hearty chuckle, helping her place the large box on the polished tile floor of the lift. He stuck out a hand, introducing himself. "My name's Naruto, what's yours?"

She shook it, her small hand enveloped in his. It was warm, but not as much as the warmth brimming his rich blue eyes which reminded her of the sea in summer. "Hinata Hyuuga. Nice to meet you."

Naruto's brows raised upon hearing her name and Hinata shifted, slightly uneasy. Her family was quite well-known, and she had a few unpleasant experiences with friends in the past which made her rather insecure.

"You're Neji's relative then? Sister?"

She blinked, nodding slowly. "We're cousins."

"Which department are you from?" Naruto asked, not mentioning anything about her family name, it didn't matter to him. He made himself comfortable as he sat on the floor, back leaning against the wall of the lift.

Hinata seemed much more at ease as she followed and sat down beside him. "I'm in the biomedical department. It's going to be my first day tomorrow actually."

The blond man looked surprised. "You're the transfer student?" he gasped, clearly impressed. "KU never accepts transferees. Heck, entering KU was already a pain in the ass. Literally everybody was shocked when we heard there was going to be a transfer student. You must be a genius."

Hinata smiled, shy at his praise. "The entrance test wasn't easy, that's for sure," she said, thinking of the other few candidates that took the test at the same time as her. The exam was one of the most nerve-wracking ones she had ever taken. "I'm just lucky, maybe."

"Bullshit, I had to take the entrance test twice," he grinned. "Hey, I have a friend in the biomed department too! Maybe you guys can get to know each other later when they're all back. She's really cool and smart, I'm sure she can show you around."

"That sounds nice."

The two sat side by side, chatting animatedly about almost everything. Hinata even mentioned Ino's invitation and when she got to the part where she hadn't heard what Ino had told her, Naruto chuckled in reponse. "She was probably trying to tell you not to take the lift just in case."

Hinata laughed. "Then why did you take the lift if you knew it would give problems?"

The blond shrugged casually. "I don't know. I just felt like it."

Naruto, in exchange, told her stories about almost all the students that resided in the apartment complex. She learned that Ino's roommate was the one in the biomedical department he had planned to introduce her to, and that she was in an on and off relationship with Naruto's roommate.

She also learned of the other residents' names and courses, along with a few funny and embarrassing stories. From her brief time with the blond, she got the impression that he was truly a social butterfly. He was radiant and warm, and she felt comfortable even if she had just met him.

 _Like the sun_ , she concluded.

They were fully immersed in their own conversation and hadn't noticed how much time had passed since they had been stuck until the lift finally let out a soft ding and began functioning again, finally stopping at Naruto's floor.

"Oh, that was fast," Naruto murmured. He was halfway out of the lift when he suddenly turned back and held on to the open button.

A boyish grin spread across his handsome features. "We'll drop by Ino's tonight. We'll pester Sakura to make a feast to welcome you! She could honestly make it big as a chef, you'd love her cooking," he paused for a while before adding, "But then again, maybe it's because the rest of us can't cook to save our lives. See you!"

The raven-haired beauty had a smile playing on her lips the rest of the day, even the loneliness of living alone or the tiredness of rearranging her new room and moving in her things couldn't stop the happiness that was bubbling inside of her.

Her day seemed to get even better when she spotted the cat from the lobby sitting on her window sill, pawing against her closed window.

"Hey, you," she cooed, gently carrying it into her room. She was scratching its head when her fingers ran across a thin collar under its soft orange fur but without a tag. "So you belong to someone."

The cat meowed in response, nudging its head against her. It didn't seem to want to leave her room for the rest of the day, making itself comfortable on her carpet. It didn't wake or hassle Hinata as she cleaned and arranged her things, serving as a quiet companion that she enjoyed.

* * *

Hinata stood in front of apartment 5B, taking deep breaths to calm herself. She could hear faint laughter behind the door, and it made her nervous. She was shy and had never been good at socialising. Not to mention that these were a bunch of people who had known each other since they were in middle school, according to Naruto.

Based on the stories she had heard that afternoon, she believed that if they could become good friends with someone as bright as Naruto, they couldn't be bad people. But she was still nervous – what if she couldn't get along with them? Would that mean she wouldn't meet them again – wouldn't meet him again?

Gathering her courage and ignoring all the questions that were swarming her mind, she pressed the doorbell, getting more and more worried with every passing second. After what felt like a long time, the lock clicked and the door swung open to reveal a pair of familiar, warm blue eyes.

"Hey, Hinata!" Naruto greeted. He stepped aside, opening the door wider for her. "Come on in."

She smiled nervously as she entered, lifting a small bag in her hand for him to see. "I didn't know what to bring so I went to get this from the bakery nearby. I hope you all like fruit cake?"

The blond laughed, closing the door behind and showing her towards the living room where most of the others were gathered. "Anything sweet will get on their good side," he winked. He didn't know the effect that one small action had on Hinata's already turning stomach.

"Except Sasuke," he whispered loudly and acted as if he was telling her a huge secret but it was clear he was talking loudly enough for his roommate to hear. "He's a mood killer and doesn't eat anything sweet. But as long as Sakura likes you, his opinion doesn't matter."

A pillow came flying at his head which he ducked swiftly.

"Guys, this is Hinata Hyuuga, the transferee," Naruto introduced her. Her lavender eyes scanned the small crowd, instinctively observing their expressions and reactions.

There was the raven-haired man lounging on the sofa that threw the pillow which she presumed was Naruto's roommate, a brown-haired man who was dozing off a seat away and Ino who was between them, playing her phone idly. Another raven-haired man who looked like he could be Sasuke's relative was busy on his laptop in a corner, and a brown-haired man on the floor who was smiling rather impishly at them.

They didn't react much apart from the brief flash of recognition that crossed their features, followed by polite greetings and smiles. While she wasn't entirely relieved at their friendly approach, it did take a load off her shoulders.

She learned their names quickly, relating faces to Naruto's stories; Sai who was rushing a last minute assignment on his laptop was in the art department, Kiba was in KU on a sports scholarship, Shikamaru who was sleeping was in engineering and Ino in chemistry.

"Hyuuga?" Sasuke frowned. "Hyuuga Corporation?"

"Uh… yes?" Hinata answered nervously, slightly intimidated at Sasuke's sharp glance.

It didn't last for long because a young woman appeared from the kitchen and knocked the back of his head lightly with her knuckle, causing him to turn around. He shot her a half-hearted glare, and Hinata saw a hint of fondness appear in those obsidian eyes of his.

"Behave," the rose-haired woman chided Sasuke before turning to her. "Hi, ignore him – Sasuke's from the Uchiha family. You know how competitive things get. I'm Sakura! We're going to be classmates from tomorrow onwards."

"Nice to meet you," Hinata responded, relaxing at her friendly smile. She handed the bag towards Sakura. "Um, I hope you all like fruit cake."

She had been surprised at hearing that Sasuke was from the Uchiha family as Naruto hadn't mentioned the full names of his other friends, but this was the prestigious Konoha University after all.

The evening was filled with laughter, chatter and even bickering, and Hinata found herself enjoying soon enough. They welcomed her quickly, and she found herself blending into their conversations rather easily, all her fears from earlier had been long forgotten. They were rowdy at times, exposing each other's embarrassing stories, but they made sure she didn't feel uncomfortable in any way.

 _"Not at that time Ino showed up to a lab session hungover and almost blew up the place. We had to evacuate because some gas was leaked or something. And it's ridiculous how she never got caught."_

 _"You're one to talk? You fell asleep in the middle of a game after two consecutive days of partying and almost missed the scholarship. You wouldn't be sitting here now if it weren't for us."_

 _"If you visit the art department, you'll see one of Sai's artworks on display right in the main hall. Honestly, that piece was just Kurama kicking the paint buckets over his canvas and him just mixing the colours together. Funnily, he got the award for that exhibition."_

 _"I think I still have a photo of Naruto's pink hair somewhere in my phone, from when he lost that bet to Sakura in high school. It was a horrible dye job and it wasn't even done properly – almost hot pink mixed with blond. Here, Hinata, look at this!"_

 _"Sakura actually went for an exam for a class she never took. She just went in the wrong classroom. And she got the highest mark – beating my grades. It makes no sense."_

 _"Sasuke, you're just praising her at this point. I don't think you understand the concept here."_

Hinata was sure she hadn't laughed as much as she did before during that short dinner. In fact, she also found herself learning more and more about the bunch of people over the course of the dinner and realised that her fears were childish. She had learned that Sasuke wasn't the only one from a prominent family among them; Ino, Shikamaru and another friend of theirs that was absent were heirs to the influential ISC Group, each a member of the three founding families.

"Are you still nervous?" Sakura suddenly asked her when only the two of them were left sitting around the dining table. Naruto and Sasuke had lost in a game of scissors-paper-stone and were in the kitchen cutting the fruit cake to be served while the others lounged around the living room.

Sakura's gaze was fixed on her with a small, secretive smile playing on her lips, the way her emerald green eyes were glinting knowingly told Hinata that the rosette knew what she had been worried about all along.

"Not anymore," Hinata answered truthfully, the corner of her lips unconsciously curving into a soft smile when her lavender eyes landed on Naruto who was bickering with his roommate. She turned back to see the rosette grinning at her, and a light blush dusted her cheeks. "I like it. This. All of you. I'm very thankful."

Sakura hummed. "Him, you mean," she said, nudging her chin towards the kitchen and ignoring the way Hinata was trying to stammer a denial. "Families and backgrounds – they were conscious of it in the beginning too. Back then, I was such a loner that I couldn't even imagine sitting around like this with a bunch of friends, much less kids from important families. But then Naruto came along and it's like he collects people, you know? There's no one too difficult for him to be friends with. There are even days where I envy him, he's the only one Sasuke probably ever opens up to-"

She stopped, probably realising she was going off topic. "Anyway, I heard you two met because you were stranded in the lift this afternoon?"

"Yeah," Hinata chuckled. "I think Ino tried to warn me, but I didn't hear her. Naruto told me he was stuck on the 2nd floor twice."

Sakura laughed. "I'm surprised he even took the lift," she said, her eyes twinkling. "Do you know, they say if you see multiple numbers in a row, it's a sign you'll be meeting your soulmate?"

Hinata blinked, but before she could react the rose-haired woman was already waving her hand in casual dismissal.

"But who knows. It's just a saying I've heard." She glanced over, noticing the two leaving the kitchen with the cake already neatly sliced, still bickering. Turning to Hinata, she whispered with a cheeky grin. "Either way, I'm sure you and him will get along very well."

"What are you doing? What are you telling her now?" Naruto asked when he spotted them talking in hushed voices, blue eyes squinting at Sakura suspiciously.

The rosette leaned back in her chair, flipping her hair with a smug smile. "About your bad habits. All the shit you've done to us. 9 years worth of revenge. Did you know this guy thought the sun literally switches into the moon at night up until two years ago?"

"Collect your girlfriend!" Naruto whined to Sasuke, pointing a finger at Sakura's face.

The raven-haired man merely shrugged, placing the plates on the table gently. He turned to Sakura and asked, "Did you at least mention his trash pile of a room?"

Before the blond could retort, Ino chimed in happily, "Or how he can't keep a pet around for more than half a year? They all ran away eventually, maybe because they couldn't stand it anymore."

Kiba scoffed. "And his shitty handwriting. Once, he failed a test because the examiner couldn't comprehend what he was writing. And he actually got almost all the answers correct for once."

Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest, shooting his friends annoyed glares. "Exaggerations, don't listen to them. I need new friends."

"Only truths," Sakura said. "Bet you no one can read those flyers you put up looking for Kurama."

Hinata laughed, enjoying their banter. While she felt slightly bad for Naruto, she knew that they were all fiercely loyal to each other. Perhaps even Naruto didn't really mind it as much as he said he did, judging from the fondness in the way he was retorting their teasings. She really was thankful to have met him and all of them.

* * *

It was almost an hour past midnight when they finally decided to return their rooms other than Shikamaru who was already dead to the world, sprawled across the sofa in Ino and Sakura's living room and Sasuke who went out to get supper for Sakura who had a few reports to finish.

Naruto had offered to walk Hinata up to the her floor and they were chatting when he told her, "I hope you had fun."

She nodded, the corner of her lips curving upwards in a soft smile, the same one that she did unconsciously when she was talking about him with Sakura earlier. "I did, thank you." She paused, suddenly remembering something and asked, "Is Kurama your pet?"

"Yeah," the blond said, sighing. "He's my cat. He ran off yesterday when we left to go for class and I couldn't chase him fast enough."

"Does he have orange fur?"

Naruto blinked. "How did you know? Did you pick up one of those flyers?"

They had reached the 7thfloor when Hinata let out a soft laughter. "I think I did," she recalled the piece of paper she had picked up that morning and the fact that she couldn't make out the words at first glance. Kiba was right – his handwriting was quite terrible.

As they walked past the lifts on the way to her apartment, she noticed that the electronic panel indicated the lift was now out of order, but that it had stopped working on the 2nd floor. She smiled, thinking of Sakura's little saying.

As she unlocked her door, she told Naruto to wait for a moment as she went in to pick up the little cat that had made itself quite comfortable at her place. Naruto's blue eyes lit up at the sight of him, and the breath-taking smile that spread across his face was one Hinata wouldn't forget.

"I think," he said slowly as he carefully cradled Kurama in his arms, the wide grin still on his face. The gaze in his sea blue eyes softened as he looked at her. "That Kurama found you for me instead."


End file.
